Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand — John Shaqi
Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New ZealandShoghi, Effendi
Religion
Arohanui: Letters from Shoghi Effendi to New Zealand
Shoghi, Effendi
Bahai Faith -- New Zealand; Shoghi, Effendi, 1897-1957 -- Correspondence
Shoghi Effendi asks me to thank you on his behalf for your letter of 14th
May. He received the letter of Mrs. Amy Thornton all right. I remember
answering it for him some weeks ago, so you can set your mind at rest on
that score.
The recovery of your Bahá’í ring and stones was very remarkable. It
reminds me of a somewhat similar occurrence in Bournemouth. One of our
Bahá’í friends had her Bahá’í ring stolen, and nothing was heard or seen
of it for some months. Mr King, another of our group, has an antique shop
in Bournemouth and one day his partner (a non-Bahá’í) bought a ring from a
man who said it was his wife’s, but as they had become very badly off she
wanted to sell it. When Mr King saw the ring he recognized it as a Bahá’í
ring and knowing that this friend had lost her ring, he sent it to me. It
turned out to be her ring and she was delighted to recover it. The curious
thing is that out of the dozens of jewellers and antique shops in
Bournemouth to which the ring might have been taken for sale, it should be
taken to the one where there was a Bahá’í who recognized it.
I hope that before you leave Scotland you may be able to go to Aberdeen
and see my home people. They would be delighted to see you. My father’s
address is Fairford, Cults, (about 3 miles from Aberdeen, by car or
train). He is 86 years of age and rather frail. My sister looks after him.
My two married brothers are Peter Esslemont, 21, Louisville Avenue
(Business: John E. Esslemont, 16 King Street) and W.D.E., 12 Wellbrae
Terr., Mannofield. Both of their houses are near the Mannofield Car Line.
We were very glad to hear of your meetings with the friends at London and
West Moors.
Many thanks for your letter to myself and the excellent snap-shots
enclosed. I am glad you have fallen in love with Sister Challis and hope
you will see her again before you leave. I had a delightful letter
yesterday from Miss Kilford of West Moors, whom I regard as a Bahá’í
grand-daughter, as she was brought into the Cause by Sister Challis who
calls me her Bahá’í father!
We hope Shoghi Effendi will get away soon for a much needed rest. The
Greatest Holy Leaf was rather seriously ill last week, but is a good deal
better again, although very feeble and frail.
I have been advised by the Drs to leave Haifa for the summer months, as my
breathing has lately been troublesome and they think the moist heat during
the summer here would be bad for me. On the same day on which this
decision was arrived at, I received a cordial invitation to go to a place
in the Black Forest for my summer vacation. The Drs considered this place
would be ideal for me and that the sooner I got away the better, so I
leave in 3 days time. My address will be c/o Frau Victoria von Sigsfeld,
Husli, Finsterlingen, bei St Blaisien, Baden, Germany. I hope to return to
Haifa in the latter part of Sept. to resume my work here.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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